Bill Beckner stories, Page 14
Pitcher Riley Miller continues to solidify her place among Hempfield softball greats as Spartans vie for state title
Riley Miller smiled as she emerged from the Hempfield dugout, a clump of cellophane-wrapped ice cubes resting on her right shoulder and another win in her back pocket. The ace pitcher, just a few days removed from graduation, tossed a two-hitter as the WPIAL Class 6A champion Spartans clipped visiting...
Penn-Trafford playoff run fueled by super senior class
Bella Rubbe gets her quality at-bats, and Rilie Moors consistently puts the ball in play. Cam Ponko pounds the softball out of the park, Giuliana Youngo makes highlight catches in right field and Kylie Anthony cleans up at shortstop. Jadyn Pellis is always ready to come out of the bullpen,...
Nothing comes easy for WPIAL champ Hempfield in PIAA 1st-round win vs. State College
Hempfield softball players took a mile-and-a-half walk around Twin Lakes Park on Monday morning. Coach Tina Madison wanted the girls to clear their heads and focus for their state playoff opener later in the afternoon. The opener was successful, but it was far from a walk in the park. The...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg’s Domer, Burkey earn AMCC honors
The Pitt-Greensburg baseball team piled up some serious postseason hardware after a memorable season. Junior outfielder James Domer was named the AMCC Player of the Year, and sophomore Conner Burkey (Hempfield) grabbed AMCC Pitcher of the Year honors. Junior Tommy Smith joined Domer on the D3Baseball.com All-Region First Team, Domer...
Westmoreland PIAA baseball/softball playoff preview capsules: Games for Monday, June 2, 2025
PIAA baseball playoffs Class A First round Greensburg Central Catholic (18-4) vs. West Middlesex (12-8) 2 p.m. Monday at Slippery Rock University District-finish: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-4; West Middlesex 10-1 Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Serra Catholic (20-3)/9-2 Clarion (14-6) Thursday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Ian Shipley, Greensburg Central...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Belle Vernon tennis player Dusi shifts commitment to Duquesne
Junior Gabby Dusi is changing course for her college tennis career. The Belle Vernon standout, who won back-to-back WPIAL Class 2A singles championships, announced last week she committed to Duquesne. She previously made a verbal pledge to Saint Francis (Pa.), but with SFU dropping from NCAA Division I to Division...
Norwin notebook: Ryan Schiller leads Knights at PIAA track meet
Sprinter Ryan Schiller came home from Shippensburg with the best Norwin individual finish at the PIAA track championships since 2017. Schiller finished second in the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.36 seconds. The Knights had plenty of highlights from the state meet, which celebrated its 100th anniversary, at Seth...
WPIAL title represents return to form for powerful Hempfield softball program
From beneath her sunglasses, softball coach Tina Madison peered over a sea of Hempfield players and fans who gathered on the infield at Norwin on Thursday for congratulatory hugs and fist bumps. There was a different celebration, it seemed, at every base and in the pitcher’s circle — an around-the-horn...
Hempfield, Seneca Valley close chapter of epic rivalry
The final chapter in a four-year softball rivalry headlined by graduating star pitchers is complete. Powerhouses Hempfield and Seneca Valley met for the final time in their current iterations Thursday and added another one-run result to the pile — their sixth in 11 meetings. There were many more hits than...
Hempfield slips past Seneca Valley in ultimate showdown between 6A softball superpowers
So many things about this softball championship game seemed off. Not the matchup itself — that was about as good as it gets. It was the different day, the morning start time, the alternate site, that were peculiar. “We all agreed this doesn’t feel like a WPIAL championship game,” Hempfield...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Hempfield, Penn-Trafford title games delayed to Thursday, moved
Hempfield and Penn-Trafford will play for WPIAL softball championships a day later than expected — at different sites. Both are scheduled to play Thursday after rainouts Wednesday at Cal (Pa.). Now, top-seeded Hempfield (20-1) will take on No. 2 Seneca Valley (16-3) at 11 a.m. at Norwin in the 6A...
2025 WPIAL Class 5A softball championship breakdown: Penn-Trafford vs. Shaler
WPIAL Class 5A softball final No. 1 Penn-Trafford vs. No. 2 Shaler 3:30 p.m. Thursday at North Allegheny On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Penn-Trafford 0; Shaler 3 (2014, ’05, 1982) Penn-Trafford (20-2) Coach: Denny Little Projected starting lineup 18, Rilie Moors, LF, Jr. 32,...
Westmoreland high school baseball playoff preview capsule for May 28, 2025
Class A Third-place game Greensburg Central Catholic (18-3) vs. Eden Christian (15-5) Noon Wednesday at Ross Memorial Park, Washington & Jefferson What’s at stake: Both teams have qualified for the PIAA playoffs. For state seeding purposes, the winner is the third-place team from the WPIAL, while the loser is fourth....
2025 WPIAL Class 6A softball championship breakdown: Hempfield vs. Seneca Valley
WPIAL Class 6A softball final No. 1 Hempfield vs. No. 2 Seneca Valley 11 a.m. Thursday at Norwin On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Hempfield 8 (2023, ‘19, ‘18, ‘17, ‘16, ‘15, ‘09, 1998); Seneca Valley 4 (2024, ’22, 1999, ’92) Hempfield (20-1) Coach: Tina...
‘A perfect championship game scenario’: Top seeds Penn-Trafford, Shaler to battle for 5A title
A thunderstorm bears down on Harrison City, and heavy rain pelts the roof of an unassuming maintenance building inside Warrior Stadium. The big bangs keep coming every few seconds, but they aren’t just from thunder. The Penn-Trafford softball team’s bats are clapping softballs off nets inside their makeshift “hitting center”...
Seneca Valley, Hempfield again set for championship clash in Class 6A
Ace pitcher Lexie Hames still remembers watching the softball sail out of the park. Two years ago, Hempfield’s Mia Bandiermonte launched a game-winning home run off her in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Spartans to a 2-1 victory over Seneca Valley in the WPIAL Class 6A...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic baseball wants to wash out bad taste
Greensburg Central Catholic didn’t win its first WPIAL baseball title since 2015, but the Centurions still have a chance at their first PIAA championship since 2002, when current Colorado Rockies interim manager and alum Warren Schaeffer was a star shortstop. GCC (18-3) will play Eden Christian (15-5) at noon Wednesday...
Westmoreland high school baseball playoff preview capsule for May 27, 2025
WPIAL Class 4A Third-place game Belle Vernon (16-7) vs. Central Valley (12-11) 1 p.m. Tuesday at Ross Memorial Park, Washington & Jefferson What’s at stake: The winner advances to the PIAA playoffs, and the loser’s season ends. Players to watch: Lucas Judy, Belle Vernon; Jackson Christopher, Central Valley Extra bases:...
Roundball Recap: Final scores, leading scorers, MVPs from all-star weekend
Another high school basketball season is in the books with the completion of the annual Roundball Classic. The all-star games, featuring the best senior players from the WPIAL, City League and District 10, were played Saturday and Sunday at North Allegheny. Here is a recap of the seven games: Boys...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Ian Korn named Division II Pitcher of the Year
Seton Hill is known for having one of the more efficient pitching staffs in NCAA Division II baseball. Some of the better arms each spring take “the Hill.” The Griffins this season can say they have the best pitcher of them all. Redshirt junior Ian Korn received significant recognition last...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Belle Vernon freshman gets D-I offer
Belle Vernon’s Aubrey Brown is only a freshman, but she already has Division I college coaches interested in her game. The 6-foot-1 forward, who made an immediate impact at the varsity level last season for the Leopards, received a scholarship offer last week from Kent State. Brown averaged 10.9 points,...
Franklin Regional grad grateful to be part of championship lacrosse team at Grove City
Back-to-back conference titles. Two NCAA Division III Tournament trips in a row. A passion for her sport. Gwen Shilling has done a lot in a short time at Grove City, and the lacrosse standout out of Franklin Regional is more appreciative of her accomplishments with each passing day. Shilling is...
Norwin notebook: Knights earn trip to state track meet
Norwin’s track and field teams were ready to take a familiar trip across the Pennsylvania Turnpike. More than a half-dozen Norwin athletes qualified to compete in the PIAA Championships May 23-24 at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium. Norwin, which dominated the team portion of the WPIAL season with boys and...
Crafty Serra Catholic runs past Greensburg Central Catholic into Class A finals
Greensburg Central Catholic had more hits than Serra Catholic, but the top-seeded Eagles had one more sneaky play — and it worked to perfection. As a result of its narrow 3-2 escape in the semifinals, Serra Catholic (19-3) is headed to its fourth straight WPIAL title game, whereas No. 5...
Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Norwin, coach break through with trip to finals
When he coached at Yough for six seasons, Craig Spisak made the WPIAL baseball playoffs four times but always hit the ceiling in the semifinals. In his third year at Norwin, he and the Knights have broken through to the final. Fourth-seeded Norwin (14-8) rallied for a 7-4 victory over...
